But on Wednesday, May 8, the co-founder of Carolâs Kitchen was speechless as she walked into a room of 50 volunteers who had gathered at the Jim Venable Community Center in Cabazon to honor her for the 15 years her organization has been providing free meals in the San Gorgonio Pass.

The charity, which served its first meal on April 28, 1998, was founded by Ragan and her late husband, Jim, in memory of their daughter Carol, who was killed by a drunken driver in 1996.

Carol Ragan was born and raised in San Bernardino. She attended Aquinas High School and USC before she started teaching in Boise, Idaho, where she became active in organizations involving children.

On Wednesday, Ragan talked about what a giving person Carol was.

âShe did everything she could to help everyone around her,â Ragan said. âCarolâs Kitchen, I believe, is her reason for being born.â

It was over lunch one day that the charity got its start. Ragan quoted her husband as saying, âWe need to feed people. Carol would like that.â

Carolâs Kitchen, which served 34 meals on the first day, now serves 1,200 to 1,300 meals each week, Ragan said. She estimates that some 700,000 meals have been served over the past 15 years.

Ragan said she could not have foreseen how much the organization would grow.

âWe never thought about the next day. We just thought about doing it,â she said.

The kitchen serves meals six times per week -- from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday and Thursday at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Church in Beaumont and the Cabazon Community Center and the same times Tuesday and Thursday at the Banning Community Center.

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